Ambiance and Service
Jackie: The Burg is nothing remarkable in terms of ambience. The décor has a modern feel to it and you can choose from a booth or a bar style table. There was a strange light, almost like the Budweiser Goal light attached to the wall in our booth, and there was nothing to look at except televisions. In terms of service, we were greeted when we entered and informed that it was self-seating. We opted for a booth, as it is currently impossible for me to sit in any chair that doesn’t allow my feet to touch the floor. We did seat ourselves in a corner making it difficult for our server to see us. After waiting for 15 minutes with no contact from our server, we moved across the aisle hoping that someone would spot us. Shortly after that we were served. Our server was polite and took time to make conversation with us when we paid our bill. The level of service was on par with what you would expect in your average chain restaurant.
Rating 2/5
Steph: An open, airy space with exposed beams and touches of modern elegance make for a relaxing, fun setting. Three round booths lined with black and white cowhide and lit by an old-timey lightbulb chandelier add a sense of whimsy and Albertan style. However, the service was certainly not up to par. As Jackie mentioned, the same server who greeted us when we entered only found us when we moved to a booth in his sightline. The place was so empty at 2pm on a Monday that it's hard to believe he forgot about us so quickly (not to mention the crushed chips in the carpet that were never cleaned up). He also could only recall 2 of the 3 daily milkshake options and didn't offer to check about the third flavor. Not what I would expect from a restaurant of this caliber.
Rating 2/5
Taste and Presentation
Jackie: The only word that can adequately describe The Burg ($13), the signature burger of this joint, is atrocious. The description of the menu boasts of a succulent burger stuffed with cheese, bacon, and mystery no heat jalapeños. It is then topped with the Burg sauce, tomatoes, onion rings, and lettuce and presented on an onion bun. What I got was far different than the description. This is in no way a stuffed burger. I did not once get a single taste of bacon or cheese, and would only occasionally get a little bit of jalapeño flavour. What they did is place these ingredients into the patty mixture. This is by no definition stuffing, which would mean creating a thicker patty and placing the goods in a pocket in the middle of the burger. Much like a Boston cream doughnut, after the first few bites, you expect to hit pay dirt. To experience a sudden flood of additional tastes that elevates a simple charbroiled burger from backyard barbeque to restaurant quality. This wasn’t the case, and I was left with a burger that I was forced to add ketchup too in order to be able to finish it. The most remarkable part of this burger were the bland onion rings, and the large piece of lettuce that would have made Bugs Bunny salivate, as it protruded several inches from the bun.
Also, it is not a mystery to me why the jalapeños are not spicy. It really is a simple process, remove all the seeds from the center of the pepper and it no longer packs a punch. Maybe this burger would have been better if they had left a few of the seeds in, as it would’ve at least had some zest. Despite the menu boasting that you’re basically eating ground steak, as the meat has no fat whatsoever, it was unpleasant and tasted like a cheap frozen patty one could buy from the grocery store. While I appreciated the lack of greasiness associated with this burger, the reality is fat is flavour and without it something needs to be done to make the patty an a pleasant experience for the taste buds.
The onion rings ($5.75) we ordered to share were interesting to say the least. Despite having an obvious spice mixture added to the batter, they were poorly seasoned, and while crispy, I had to blanket them with ketchup.
Rating 1/5
Steph: When I spotted Gelato Shakes on the menu, made with Fiasco Gelato, I knew I had to try one. The flavors change daily, and out of the three options, I chose the Salted Caramel Shake ($6). It comes with a metal tin on the side, with enough for two full glasses of thick, creamy milkshake. The flavor was light but delicious and the texture was perfect and topped with real whipping cream.
While that sounds amazing, the actual product was somewhat disappointing. The patty had good flavor but no structural integrity as only a few bites in half my burger broke off and fell onto my plate! I had to knife-and-fork it to finish the burger, which simply isn't done! The other ingredients were top notch and the bun was soft with a lightly toasted crunch on the outside.
The onion rings that we shared were overly crispy and while tasty, the salt level was pretty overwhelming. I finished them but wouldn't order them again.
Rating 2/5
Overall Value
Jackie: This is the first time I have actually been shocked by a restaurants pricing. I had planned on paying about $17 for my meal not including tip. What I expected to get for this was a burger, a side, and maybe a milkshake. I ended up ordering just the burger for $13. Sides are a whopping $4.50 or $5.75 depending on whether they are defined as premium or not. Also, the milkshakes are $6. My eyes just about popped out of my head when I realized this. Under absolutely no circumstances will I pay more than $5 for a non-alcoholic drink. Though Steph thoroughly enjoyed her shake, and the sip of it I had was great, a drink just isn’t worth it in my eyes. In order to get what I had originally planned to order the cost would’ve been approximately $24.50. In fact, I had been eyeing up the banana bread pudding when we sat down, but we ended up going elsewhere for dessert, as I was absolutely finished with this restaurant. This is not a place for a person on a budget, or anyone who has taste buds for that matter.
Rating 1/5
Steph: What did we expect for a downtown burger place on a trendy street? The prices were high, but if the quality and service had been there I would have happily paid them. However, the products we received were just not up to the standard I hoped for and made the pricing seem pretty ridiculous. $5.75 for 8 or 9 overcooked, salty onion rings? There are so many other great options in the area that The Burg doesn't merit a revisit for quite a long time.
Rating 2/5
The Verdict We'll leave it at this: we think the current 54% rating on Urbanspoon is perfectly fair.
Final Rating 10/30
And the winner is... Veg! Neither meal was spectacular but Steph's vegan patty certainly edged out Jackie's unstuffed, dry burger for the win!
SPOT on. I don't know how they're still afloat--and mysterious positive reviews (copies of them, from different accounts!!) are popping up on Urbanspoon, the staff or owners, no doubt. I dunno how more people don't realize this place is extremely mediocre.
ReplyDeleteThat sounds pretty shady! "Extremely mediocre" is a great way to describe it, we were thoroughly disappointed with the whole experience.
DeleteThanks for the comment!